Justin's review of: Legends of Cybertron Megatron

For millions of years, MEGATRON has led fanatical legions of evil DECEPTICONS on their war for conquest of the Universe. A living weapon with dozens of self-inflicted modifications made in the name of increased power and destructive capability, his only weakness is his single-minded desire for the enslavement of the Universe. His intellect, ego and talent for deception are second to none, and he rules his DECEPTICONS with an iron-fisted combination of fear and force of personality. Driven by a nearly insane lust for power, MEGATRON managed not only to survive the catastrophic implosion of UNICRON, but also to absorb much of his power. Now, wearing salvaged pieces of the ancient destroyer's armor, MEGATRON is awesomely powerful, and is determined to beat OPTIMUS PRIME and the AUTOBOTS to the lost Planet Keys.
Skill: 10

Alternate Mode:
Legends of Cybertron Megatron has an alternate mode nearly identical to the leader class figure sans a few details. The major detail lacking is the jet mode; some might consider this more of a flaw than an omitted detail. I consider it a detail since to my eyes the jet mode looks like it was tacked on as an afterthought, what we are left with is a futuristic car resembling some incarnation of the batmobile. This figure manages to feel quite large for its price range in this mode. Its overall length is similar to that of a smaller Cybertron basic figure.

In this mode Megatron is primarily gray with a gunmetal windshield and small doses of other colors for accents. Orange is present in the rail like pieces connecting the front fenders and main body of the car. Very small accents of a nice shade of a metallic aqua color follow the roofline along the windshield, right where you would expect the cockpit to open were this to be a real vehicle. My favorite touch of decorative work in this mode is purple highlights applied throughout (Replacing the blue on the leader class figure); maybe it is the little piece of fan boy lost deep within my soul, but the mixture of purple with dark neutral colors always feels like classic Decepticon.

Though the paint applications arenít numerous the molded details are quite abundant. From the jet engines to the insides of the front fenders I donít think there is a single part of this mold that isnít detailed in some way be it panels or mechanical/wiring details. In spite of all of the details the large rear wheels are not functional, instead relying on small wheels on the bottom of the car to allow Megatron to roll along flat surfaces. The rear wings can either be positioned parallel to the top of the vehicle as seen on the show and larger toy or as shown on this figureís instructions. When positioned as seen in the show the wings form a semi-realistic spoiler, but give the figure an unfinished look because little detail was put into this surface as it forms the bottom of the robotís feet. In spite of this unfinished look I still prefer the wings to be displayed this way because when positioned as intended the wings form a flat spot that takes away from the overall sleek and fast look of the car mode. If you can shake away your basic knowledge of aerodynamics (which I for some reason cannot) then you will likely prefer the wings in their intended position.

Robot Mode:
The transformation of Megatron is quite simple, yet manages to be interesting for a figure of this size. While I do not own the large version of this figure, after reviewing the photos it appears that the Legends of Cybertron figure has very similar transformation scheme. My favorite feature of this figure line is how well proportioned the robot modes of the figures are, also being based on larger molds they do not feature many of the design flaws (Inability to balance, loose joints, etc) inherent in small figures designed from scratch.

The color scheme in robot mode is similar to that of the vehicle mode with orange playing a more significant role on the thighs and arms. The face sculpt is very clean looking for its size. The main color of the head is the same dull gray as the car body, while the face is brighter silver. Megatronís face is appropriate for a Decepticon leader looking as angry and threatening as he ever has.

The articulation for this figure is a bit subjective. If you are expecting a range of motion on the order of the Alternators you are sure to be disappointed, if you are expecting something more realistic for a figure the size of a Spychanger you will be satisfied. Megatron has ball jointed hips and knees. The joints in the knees allow the typical posability we have all come to expect since Energon, without any significant limitations due to vehicle components. The figureís shoulderís are ball jointed but arm movement is limited to up sliding up towards the shoulders and rotating 360 degrees in an unrealistic and relatively useless fashion. Megatron suffers a distinct lack of elbow joints, the elbows are permanently bent into a semi-neutral position as a consequence of the transformation sequence. Even though the arm articulation is less than stellar this is still a nice little bot.

Transformation: 9.5- This one is definitely not difficult, but it is interesting. There arenít any obvious robot parts hanging out, even if you flip it over and look from the bottom.Durability: 7- Megatron isnít a brick because of his size, the piece attaching the front fender seems the most fragile part, other than that he should be problem free.Fun: 10- Mini Megatron, very poseable for his size.Price: 10- $2.99 retail, I wouldnít pay much more than that because of the size, but the most I have seen them go for is 5 bucks which still isnít too bad.Overall: 10- A highly detailed version of Megatron which can be had for about the cost of a case of Pepsi. If you see this one on the shelf, donít pass it up.